Won't sit on potty for long

[tigersmummy]

I started potty training DS (3.2yrs) yesterday and day 2 is not going well. He knows that for each wee or poo in the potty he gets a chocolate button and after 5 accidents he managed a wee in the potty at the very end of yesterday. However today he's been sitting on the potty for a minute or so (having been prompted by me) then often gets off and wees or poos just afterwards.

He knows when he is weeing or pooing and this may be a normal start, but its very frustrating when he gets off the potty to do his business - kind of defeats the purpose!

I'm under no pressure to potty train him at this stage, just feel like he is ready, or could be prompted to be ready. Today he did get the link between the reward and the potty, as I caught him trying to climb up into the cupboard where they are stored! Whenever he has an accident I just clear him up and say 'next time you do wee/poo in potty' or 'wee or poo not in pants'. But something just isn't clicking.

I'm loathe to revert to nappies (I use pull ups as couple of months ago he didn't like having his nappy changed and I thought it would be better to use pull up pants - may I have confused him by calling these his pants yet knowing he would wee and poo in them?) as feel I'm falling as first hurdle and he may get it tomorrow or the next day, or do I put him back in nappies and try in a month or so? It certainly is easier for me for him to be in nappies - not the ideal reason I know!

I spoke to nursery and they suggested him being in pants at home then in nappies for the 2 days he is with them, but surely that will confuse him even more?

HELP!!!

You can employ delaying tactics to keep him sitting for longer, watching a DVD or TV, looking at books or having you read him a story, special toys that he can only play with while on the potty.....but if he still gets up and does it on the floor or in his pants regardless he may not be ready. Or you could set a timer for two or three minutes so that he can get up when it goes off. I don't think there is any benefit to making a child sit for any longer than five minutes at the most. Or get a dolls potty so that his favourite teddy can sit at the same time.

Having said that two days isn't very long. If there isn't any improvement after a week you could try another time, preferably when you can have a good run at it without things like nursery and the need for pull-ups which will confuse the issue. When my DS was at day nursery, the staff were very pro-active at potty training and insisted the DC wore thin cloth pants and not pull-ups. In DS case, he just had pants on his bottom as wearing trousers as well confused him, he couldn't remember whether he had a nappy on or not! With thin pants they know there is nothing there to catch an accident as it feels so different. The first day was a disaster, wet 10 sets of clothes, went home in a nappy. I was sad, as at the weekend he had been brilliant with nothing on, putting himself on the potty or telling me he needed it, only one wee on the carpet. Next day at nursery, wore pants with no trousers and he was brilliant, just a dribble or two but no full accidents. This was at two and a half. But: he had been primed for a few months, where the staff used to put them on the potty after meals, and nappies on inbetween. Of course they had an incentive to sit for a reasonable time, as they had others to chat to while they were there! And of course the staff made much of successes on the potty, nothing like a bit of peer pressure!

If you think he isn't ready for the cold turkey ditch the nappies, you could try the sitting on the potty at regular times, wearing nappies in between, and at some point something has to land in the pot! Then you can reward him for that. When he consistently produces something, you can start with pants.

Have the same problem with DS. Started this weekend and can persuade him to sit on pot or toilet but only for about 4 secs and then he's off and he pees infrequently so not much opportunity to get it in the right place either.